Cleated conveyor belts are well-known for use in transporting materials such as grain, seeds, and other dry or particulate material. The conveyor belt extends around a pair of spaced apart pulleys and is rotated to transport the material from an inlet adjacent one end of the belt to an outlet at the opposite end of the belt. Often, the conveyor system is inclined, such that gravity and operational vibrations causes the material to slide down the belt while being carried upwardly. The cleats, which normally extend across the belt in an arrangement perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the belt, help minimize undesirable product migration or slide.
It is also well-known to use cleated belts in a tubular conveyor, which precludes or minimizes loss of material from blowing air, particularly in inclined applications. However, since the belt must curve across its width to pass through the tubular conduit or channel, the cleats must be segmented to accommodate the change in belt shape from a flat configuration adjacent the pulleys to a curved configuration of the tubular channel.
Also, with prior art conveyors having cleats perpendicular to the conveyor axis, there tends to be a vacuum formed behind the cleat at the discharge end of the conveyor. This vacuum causes material to be sucked into the belt guard, and thus not discharged as desired at the outlet end of the belt.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved cleated conveyor belt for use in tubular conveyor assemblies.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a conveyor system having a cross cleated conveyor belt.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a conveyor belt having a plurality of cleat sets arranged on the belt with non-parallel axes.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a cross cleated conveyor belt with multiple sets of cleats, with each set including a plurality of spaced cleat members.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved conveyor belt for use in a tubular conveyor wherein the cleat arrangement and configuration eliminates or minimizes any vacuum behind the cleats at the discharge end of the conveyor.
Yet another objective of the present invention is a conveyor belt having a plurality of sets of cleats, with each set crossing the longitudinal axis of the belt at a non-perpendicular angle.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved conveyor belt with cleats which is economical to manufacture and safe and durable in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.